The Software Guild - CLOSED

I've made many decisions in my life, none of them have been as life altering as the decision to learn C# at The Software Guild. It wasn't easy learning Object Oriented design, but when It clicked (around week 10) It ALL made sense, excluding that battleship... Read More exercise *shutters*. I recently completed a 3 month contract and am proud to say they hired me back full time.

Deciding to quit my job (that I disliked) and go back to school full time or more like double time was still the best decision I made. I originally applied for an earlier cohort but little did I know, the curriculum was very intense and very fast. There... Read More were just a few items that I did not fully comprehend but it was significant enough to not be able to move on. For a few weeks, I studied Java and finally understood the curriculum a bit better. I finished the program in the second attempt and now have a fantastic dream job.

When I tell people that I went to a coding bootcamp, they think it is just a simple online course with a printable certificate. When I told them how hard it was, they were in awe. After being employed and looking back at the curriculum, they are very much on par with what is necessary to have a job as a developer. Not just the languages made you feel prepared, but they also introduced us to certain ways of testing, text editors that are used in professional environments, JIRA, and using repositories. During my employee orientation, I was surrounded by new STEM grads and they did not know anything about coding and were going to have jobs in IT. Being in the program definitely made me realize how far I can push myself to get something accomplished and also just being able to learn something so foreign in a small timeframe. We were in a classroom for 40 hours a week and on top of that about 20-30+ hours of working on projects and learning the material that is going to be taught the next day. So yes, that is a well spent time commitment.

The instructors were very accommodating and quite approachable. Having a classroom be a max size of 18, it felt like the program was more individualized and they cared about each individual student and their progress. Even after graduating they are very helpful with resources. The employment manager has quite a large network of employers so he followed up with every student on their job search every 2 weeks after graduating. I checked out another bootcamp, called Prime Digital Academy but the Software Guild stood out to me. When I went to Prime’s open house, alumni did not emphasize on the curriculum. Instead they spoke about how they learn about communicating effectively. When I spoke to a recruiter at the Guild, she told me “we will teach you to code” and those few words sold me to the program and they sure did!

If I had to go back and do something again, I would have liked to have been told to at least look at the Java language before attending the program. Even though I was already admitted, there was a gap of time where I was waiting for class to start and I could have looked at terms or tutorials online. I do not think that it would have been so foreign if I studied beforehand.
If I had to recommend someone to attend a bootcamp, I would say that someone who just finished high school would not be a great fit. The program is very intense and if they are not motivated to attend college, then I do not think they would be motivated enough to finish the full-time program. It was even more difficult than finishing a bachelor’s degree. Most the students are in their 20s and above.

When getting employed, the statistics are correct for the program but when you are the one experiencing the difficulty of getting your first coding job, it gets frustrating. My cohort ended at the end of July 2017 and I got my offer call in mid to late September. Many people try to go through staffing agencies but entry level developer roles are very hard to come by. Even if the position says 1-2 years of experience, they will not submit your resume because you have no previous coding experience. The employment manager told me that it is not just your background but it also has to be a good match overall (culture fit and technical skills). Luckily, I managed to get hired directly through my employer.

So, to put it simply, I would 100% recommend attending a coding bootcamp and particularly, the Software Guild. Everyone just needs to understand and think about all the variables that could slow you down and if you

Pros:
1. My teacher was very helpful with any question I had. Available around the clock and It was clear the educators were experts in the field.
2. Great culture within the guild. It was a blast going through the program getting to be a part of such... Read More a great cohort, staff, and alumni group.
3. Most people come out with Jobs. The Software Guild does a great job of pairing you up with an employer.

Cons:
1. Curriculum was fast moving. Most of the topics take years to master, so you are left feeling defeated when you are given a week or two to understand a huge topic.
2. Expensive. After going through it, I personally feel it was overpriced. Probably only worth half of what I paid. But with that being said, The Software Guild gave me my start to an exciting and meaningful career. So the price was worth it!

Completed The Software Guild's Java Web Developer Boot Camp. Fantastic instructors, support and material. It was great to finally have a chance to practice and get better at Object Oriented programming with tutors available during class and after hours.... Read More

I was fully prepared by Software Guild to tackle any number of challenges in the workplace. I got a job in Java after studying Java, but within a few months I was doing nothing but iOS development. It did take some time for me to transition and become... Read More conversant with Objective-C for iOS, but the training I got from Software Guild was top notch and prepared me to keep learning. I would do it again and recommend it in a heartbeat.

The Software Guild provided a very detail oriented boot camp, which was very intensive but incredibly informative. The course work was very labor intensive and requires about 60-70 hours of work a week. If you have no prior coding experience I strongly... Read More recommend reviewing basic Object Oriented Programming (OOP) terms before starting the class, as the first few weeks were very overwhelming. You are not guaranteed a job after the class, the Guild gives you tips on how to search for a job, help update your resume, and have companies come in for speed interviews towards the end of the class, but once the course is over you are pretty much on your own in the job search. They do provide a networking manager to check in every couple weeks with tips on connections, but again cannot land a job for you.

I attended the Software Guild having no prior coding experience other than taking a few Code Academy courses. I found it difficult to come in with such minimal experience and felt that a number of my classmates were more prepared for the work. I recommend... Read More taking a Udemy course on your chosen language prior to attending if you are worried about not being prepared. My classmates and teachers were more than willing to help, however, providing a good learning atmosphere where I felt ok making lots of mistakes.

I found the curriculum to be strong for the first half of the course when we were learning basic coding for console applications, and weaker in the second half learning web applications. The Software Guild did an excellent job preparing students for the job market, with the exception of not providing enough technical interview practice. I landed a good job in QA with a large company that hires a lot of Software Guild graduates, thanks to the Guild's networking event.

Overall the Software Guild was a good experience and enabled me to completely change careers.

I attended The Software Guild Java Bootcamp in Louisville, KY between February and April 2017.
The curriculum included full stack development, so to say we covered a lot of ground in a short time is an understatement.
Although I have an IT background, I... Read More was completely foreign to Java and many of the supporting technologies that we covered during the course.
The pace of the coursework was sometimes - adequately - described as drinking from a fire hose (or three), and it required adapting to an agile mindset that was willing to simply "follow the pattern" to finish the objective and have faith that the understanding will sink in later. For me, this was especially challenging - after all, my future job prospect was dependent upon me *understanding* Java development - but, eventually, I made the adjustment, and found the guidance to be true.

Given this, I must credit the staff and instructors at The Software Guild.
I believe they made all the difference by showing genuine interest in our success and compassion during the challenging times.

The Software Guild is the best. It is run by amazing and passionate people and they really make sure you learn all you need to know to start a career in software development. I have been applying everything I learned at The Guild in some degree. I still... Read More can't believe opportunities like this are available. You can learn the material. They really do an excellent job of teaching it. Then, with those skills you can find employment for these skills are needed all over. Joining the Guild is such a great investment. It's why I feel the main reason people aren't seizing this opportunity is because they "don't do computers." Quit a shame though.

Software Guild was an amazing experience for me. Going through an intensive course like this is such a confidence boost when you get through it. The course takes A LOT of hard work. If you are someone expecting to sign up and just magically get a job,... Read More then this might not be for you. But if you are willing to put in the work the benefits are AMAZING. The staff is there for you in both the coding education aspect and job hunt aspect. Both require work and the staff was a great support system for me through that process.